The present invention relates to a golf putter and in particular to a golf putter having a cylindrical head, a center of mass at the midpoint of the head, and a plurality of grooves formed in the bottom of the head.
Unlike the other types of golf club heads as "woods" and "irons" which are all basically similar in design, putters tend to have an almost unlimited variety of designs primarily because putting is more of a personal preference for each individual golfer as opposed to the intended use of the other two types.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,703,199, McClure, discloses a symmetrical club head with its center of gravity directly at the end of the shaft aiding in achieving a pendulum-like swing. This design however is of the blade-like design, that is having a flat surface where the club head impacts the ball and a shaft offset from the center line of the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,068,011, Sano, discloses "U" shaped plates on the bottom of wood-type and iron-type golf clubs. Arc shaped grooves are provided between the fork of the "U". The golf clubs are of conventional shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,087, Redd, discloses a golf club mechanically balanced with respect to the center line of the shaft. A longitudinal, tapered hole extends through the club and the club has a blade-like face.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,978, East, discloses a club head design with a center of gravity coincident-with its geometric center, however the design is for "woods" rather than for irons or putters. The face is of a flat design as opposed to cylindrical.
Swanson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,701, discloses a putter design having a generally rectangular blade head with a front putting face, a substantially flat rocker bottom, an upright back wall and a central cylindrical portion having a diameter matching the diameter of a golf ball. Longitudinal grooves are formed in the top of the blade for sighting purposes.
Duclos, U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,350 discloses a putter with a flat blade design and a head having a high polar moment of inertia above the preferred ball striking point.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,202, Jacobson, discloses a putter having a blade member with a wide, planar upper surface with disc like members on opposite ends of the blade member.
Perkins, U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,428, discloses a putter having a transversely elongated head with an upright front wall. Tracking grooves are formed on the bottom face.
Olsen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,441 discloses a putter with a cylindrical head having a diameter smaller than the diameter of a golf ball. A mushroom shaped end cap is attached to either side of the head.
A putter advertised under the name "Masteroll" in the publication "Competitive Edge Golf" is cylindrical but "is designed to strike the ball slightly above center" and is larger in diameter than the ball. The shaft is not aligned with the heel but is off-set to "keep your hands in front of the ball".
Thus, although many types of golf putters have been proposed and marketed, there still exists a need for a golf putter which can enable the golfer to impact the center of mass of the club head directly on the center of mass of the golf ball to provide greater control of the movement of the golf ball.